“I had the pleasure of working alongside Assemblyman Skartados for several years,” Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said. “He worked hard for his constituents in what is a very diverse district and was well-liked by his peers. Assemblyman Skartados was a true gentleman and my thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Skartados was first elected to the Assembly in 2008. He most recently represented Assembly District 104 which included parts of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties.

“Frank Skartados leaves a proud legacy as a fighter for the people he loved and a voice for many who had none," Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) said. “Frank came to America as a young man, worked to pay his way through school, built a business, and won election to represent his neighbors in the State House. If that’s not the American Dream, I don’t know what is."

City of Newburgh Mayor Judy Kennedy died at the age of 73 after a two-year battle with cancer.

“Judy Kennedy and I shared a love for the City of Newburgh, and I saw her in action working every day to make Newburgh the City that its wonderful people deserve," Maloney said. "It was also her vision that has led to the reinvestment on Liberty Street and the City’s improving financial outlook. “Judy's legacy, and the best way we can remember her, is to finish her work of making Newburgh an even better place to live, work and raise a family."

Kennedy was first elected City of Newburgh mayor in 2011.

“Mayor Kennedy made a long-lasting impression on the City of Newburgh,” Neuhaus said. “She will be missed for her hard work, compassion and commitment to the residents of Newburgh.